The Next Best Thing
by n e v e r quite l i k e this
Summary: Because they could never have what they truly wanted, they settled for the next best thing. RikuxAerith. One shot, rated T for suggestive themes. AU.


**The Next Best Thing**

**Disclaimer:**_I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or any character you recognize, no profit is made in the writing of this Fanfiction._

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He would never love Aerith. He only had eyes for _Tifa_. He'd look at her when she didn't know it, and he'd look dazed, and she'd walk by him and he could smell her scent, and you could just tell he was just as much in love with her, as she was with him. Aerith hated to admit it, but she was jealous, Tifa could fight by his side, while she herself was only there to follow people around and heal them. Aerith was just a healer, and that's all she'd ever be.

What's worse is she's Aerith's_ best_ friend, and for a long while Aerith fought for him, but when she saw how in love Tifa was and how he loved _her_, Aerith stepped back to let love blossom. Her two best friends in love, what more could she want for them?

She doesn't know how to get rid of this feeling for him, he's an enigma and that's attractive. He's got the most beautiful blue eyes, and oddly spiked blonde hair, and he's quiet and doesn't always talk a lot, but that's what Aerith always loved about him.

Aerith sighs to herself tearing her gaze away from both of them, they're talking quietly, and there's the shyness of a new couple apparent, she'd smile and comment about how sweet it was, if it weren't for her jealously. Aerith feels horrible about it.

She brushes a loose strand of brown hair, that's fallen from her braid; and puts it behind her ear. She stands up trying to hold in another deep sigh, and walks out of Merlin's crowded house for some air, it always helped, then she'd be able to go back in and plant on a fake smile, because Aerith isn't allowed to be sad by Yuffie's standards.

"Aw, come on Aerith! You're supposed to be happy, and keep all our spirits up!" Yuffie whines childishly, and Aerith smiles and tells her she's right, and for the rest of her friend's benefit's; Aerith smiles. Aerith laughs, and gives words of comfort during times of need. Aerith ignores her own needs, and tends to others; she tells herself she isn't the only one suffering during the attacks by Heartless and Nobodies.

And if Aerith would look over, she would look into aquamarine eyes of concern, she can't fool him, he _knows_.

He knows what it's like to love someone and not have them love you back, because he still loves her, the swishing of her red hair, and the way her blue eyes twinkle when she smiles or laughs.

But he knows it's a hopeless case, because he's just Riku. A castaway of the darkness, he had been nothing more then a pawn and that was all he would ever be.

She's jealous of Tifa, just as he is jealous of Sora. They'd be so good together; because they're more alike then they know. When she looks at him, her green eyes show nothing but kindness, never has she looked down on him for taking in the darkness. And when he talks, she listens so intently, and offers words of comfort that make Riku think maybe he can be loved, despite being so tainted.

Riku finds himself hating to look at Kairi and Sora, both perfect entities of light, pure hearts, and it makes him feel sickened inside, because he feels like dirt. He feels inferior to both of them. He looks at Aerith and he feels at peace, because she's jealous too, and he loves looking at her flaws, showing him she's human too, and not of perfection.

And so they realize neither can have what they want, so they settle for the next best thing, and he wove gold around her wrists, and showed her the stars, and made her feel like a Princess, and he takes her pains away, and makes her forget about _Cloud._

And she would give him her bittersweet kisses, and her smiles of someone who has started to hate her best friend, and he returns those smiles, because he too has started to hate his best friend. And she would make him feel like a child again, giving him what he had lost; and they'd dance in the rain because it matched their bittersweet love.

She'd give him a red rose, and they'd both pretend it was a symbol of their love, but it really was a symbol of their lie, they'd live together.

And she'd make him forget about _Kairi_.

They could never love each other, the way they loved Cloud or Kairi, but it was their love nonetheless. And he'd kiss her, and tell her it was okay to cry, and he'd hold her and suddenly, they're in bed, showing each other their non-existent love.

And she's crying out _his_ name and running her nails down his back, making him arch his back, and thrust harder. He loved how he could elicit such erotic sounds from someone that seemed so innocent.

She loved when he moaned her name huskily in her ear, setting her skin ablaze, because for a minute she had something over that Princess of Heart, he was _Aerith's_ Prince of Darkness, tainted and bittersweet.

And he loved when she screamed, because it was _his _name that was being ripped from her throat, not _Cloud's._ She was his, whether or not they loved each other, because they both knew they deserved each other.

And they lived as happily ever after as they could, because in their world there were no happy endings, just the next best thing, to what they really wanted.

It wasn't true love, but it was their love nonetheless.

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_Oh boy, don't ask. I have no clue where this idea came from, what I do know is I love Aerith and Riku together for some reason. Riku is hard to write, I know Aerith is probably not as dark as I wrote her, but I got creative, I don't hate Kairi or Sora, and we all know Yuffie can be childish and selfish sometimes, so I don't hate her either. Sorry if I irked anyone, this is my first Kingdom Hearts Fanfiction, and I never intended for it to turn into angst, it just sort of happened. :)  
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_XoXo_


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